S 679 
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ESS,) HOUSE OF REPIIESENTATIVES. (Document 
«• f 1 No. 720. 



rsK OF r. v. T., A \VAK-sALVA(;i<:i) ioxflosim:. fok 

FM^LU'E-TrMF FCKI'OSES. 



ARTICLE ON USE OF T. N. T., A WAR-SALVAGED EXPLOSIVE, FOR 
PEACE-TIME PURPOSES. BY JOHN SWENEHART, UNIVERSITY 
OF WISCONSIN. 



Aprii. 10. l-rjd Onl.'r.'.l tr, I. f printed. 



A J(>\v-|)ri((«(l and ofToctive explosivo is our of (lie umcjK needs 'm 
tiiuMnir JivaiJaldo for sotllcmcnt the lar^n' areas c.f uiKieveloned land 
in file cut-over Slates. 

A conservative estimate \Anros the Jands adapted to airric ill t lire in 
the in)).(>r .\fississippi I^Jiver States alone at ;;.'). OOO.OOQ acres. That 
this land is fertile lias l)een shown hy the thousands of settlors already 
on the jrround. Many of these families are hiaJdiiio; farms and futures 
I h(>re; their {greatest need is more Jand cleared. In most instances 
they have the necessary la])or. hut little monev. E.\])l()sives they 
must have— the more ahundant and inexpensive tlie sliorter the 
road to success. 

F,MriKP:s AW.VIT JJEVELOI'MENT. 

Estimates made hy the United States Soil Survev and the various 
c<)lle<;es ot airncultuir show that tlie valu(> of the lalid in these States 
when rechiimed will he increased hy more than SI. 000.000,000 Tlie 
iiastenin|r of the day when this land will he settled and under the 
plow will mark an epoch in the development of these districts. 

In addition to the vast area vet to he reclaimed in the upix-r 
Mississip])! Kiver Valley there are the cut-over lands of the South 
whicli are some of the most fertile in the countrv. In such States as 
<.eor<,na. Alahama. Louisiana, and Mississip])i'the devehypment of 
I'lf .V"^:''^^"'"^^^"*'^ repres(>nts one of the countrv 's largest i)rohlems 
I U hiie figures are not available indicating the value of the reclama- 
tion of these land.s, it is ()])vious that the amounts are enormous. 

RECLAMATION NATIONALLY IMPORTANT. 

Similarly in the Pacific Northwest, there are large areas of rich 
land awaiting development. The part which explosives are to phiv 
m this (h'velopmcnt must be important. No matter how much ma- 
chinery IS available, and no matter what other methods may be de- 
? vised, vast mnintities of explosives will always be needed; When 
It is realized that the cost of developing each acre in the upper 
Lake States and over a great portion of the southern pine lanci is 
less tlian the annual returns from prevailing crops, it will be evident 
that any thino; which aids in a rpiicker development of this resource 
IS of national importance. 

T. N. T. OFFERS A SOLI TION. 

l*i.'^" "^^ T" ^^ trinitrotoluene, one of the high-powered explosives of 
Ithe war. has made good under trial in land clearing. This explosive 
IcoiUd be of great service to the settlers of cut-over rec^ions 



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2 USE OF T. N. T. FOR PEACE-TIME PURPOSES. 

Through the cooperation of the Departments of War and the 
Interior, rather extensive test of the efficiency of T. N. T. in land clearnig 
have been made in Wisconsin by representatives of the College of 
Agriculture of the University of Wisconsin. 

Practical trials on nearly 2,000 farms, tests made by State and 
Federal agents, have all demonstrated its value and its usability. 
As a result of these tests, a widespread demand has arisen among the 
citizens of this new farming region. Thousands of requests have been 
made by these settlers for supphes from the Government and vState 
authorities who supervised the distribution of the salvaged war 
explosive. In fact, in Wisconsin alone the demand was for more than 
4,000,000 pounds. , j 

As compared with dynamites, regardless of their grade and manu- 
facture, T. N. T. has been found stronger and yet fully as safe and 
easy to use. Its alleged insensibility can be easily overcome by 
the use of a larger detonator. It is not any more susceptible to 
moisture than the best of the ordinary dynamites. It is not affected 
by freezing. It has much less poisonous effects on the user when it 
is used properly cart ridged. 

T. N. T. CAN BE MADE AVAILABLE AT LOW COST. 

The war supphes of T. N. T. can likely be cartridged and made 
available for use at a cost of less than 10 cents a pound. The authori- 
ties m Wisconsin have successfully cartridged, packed, and distributed 
their 200,000-pound supply at a total cost of SI 6, 000, or about 8 
cents a pound. . . , 

This does not include much of the expense of distribution wliicli 
was handled by banks, county agents, and others. Nor does it 
include freight "from the cartridging plant to the actual user. It 
does include, of course, the original cost of rather crude equipment 
and necessary plant for doing the work. 

The prevailing size of dynamite cartridges is IJ inches in diameter 
by 8 inches in length. If cartridges of T. N. T. are made this size, 
they can be used with the same tools that were formerly used for 
dynamite. T. N. T. is more bulky than dynamite, and therefore 
lihis size of cartridge wiU weigh only about 5J to 5^ ounces instead of 
8 ounces, which is the weight of a standard cartridge of dynamite. 

The war supplies of T. N. T. have not deteriorated when stored in 
a dry place for reasonable length of time. The difficulty m provid- 
ind a safe, dry, storage place on a cut-over farm should discourage 
storage of this or any other explosive material for more than one 
season. Freezing and changes in temperature do not appear to 
have any effect on the action of T. N. T. in field work on stumps and 
bowlders. This makes it unnecessary to thaw the material m cold 
weather, wliieh has been the source of accidents in connection with 
handling nitroglycerin dynamites. The user has frequently placed 
his dynamite near the fire or in an oven and serious accidents have 
often resulted. 

HOW T. N. T. IS USED IX LAND CLEARING. 

T. N. T. is a vellow crystalline powder, made in three grades, dif- 
fering technically but not in practical application. Grade II is 
the one most conimonly available from the war surplus. This varies 
in color from different manufactures, being often light yellow in 

07 At: i*. I 

^^Y ..«• 1920 



USE OF T. N. T. FOR PEACE-TIME PURPOSES. 3 

color and v(>rv dry. It may also he dark l)r()\vii and somewhat 
greasy. For practical ])iir|)oses in stump work, no account luu'd 
1)0 taken of these variations in color or appearance. 

In str(Mi<]^th T. N. T. is about one-third stronger than orchnary 
dynamites when loads of less than 2 pounds are used. If the 
quantity of material used in one load is above 2 pounds, the 
T. N. T. seems to exert a stronger effect than ordinary dynamites. 
Large loads should therefore be used with care, as the ex])losion is 
much more violent and ])ieces of the stum])s are thrown farther. 
A No. 8 blasting cap is re((uired for comj)lete detonation. The use 
of a No. 6 cap will result in misfires unless conditions are just right. 
The No. 8 cap is the same as that used for dynamite, except that the 
ca]) is larger. The same kinds of fuse can be used. Either common 
blasting caps and fuse or electric ca])s and blasting machine may i)e 
used. The electric method of firing explosives is recommended. 

The hole for the charge is made in the same way as w'ould be neces- 
sary with dynamite, except that the T. N. T. charge should not be 
extended out any length in the hole due to its insensitiveness. En- 
large the hole at the bottom so that the charge w-ill be well "bunched." 
A common term in connection with dynamite is to '■si)ring the hok^," 
where a larg(> charge is used. A spoon with a long handle may also 
be used to enlarge the hol(> at the bottom for this ]nn'pose. This is 
not needed where small loads are used inider small stumps. In order 
to enable a charge to be packed down in the hole, the sides of the car- 
tridge may be slit with a knife. There is no danger in using a knife 
in this way. 

NO PLACE FOK CAREf.ESSNESS. 

T. N. T. is nmch less sensitive to shocks than ordinary dynamite 
and therefore requires a larger cap to set it off or detonate it. While 
it is safe to use, this does not mean that it is less dangerous than 
other explosives. It is a high explosive and therefore dangerous. 
T. N. T. burns readily and is much more sensitive when burning. 
Burning T. X. T. is also very dillicult to extinguish. Every precau- 
tion sliould be taken to keep fire and s])arks away from the material. 

In placing the cap in the cartridge it is highly desirable to use a 
j)roper instrument. The handle of the cap crimper is made for this 
work and should be used. Be sure that the cap is placed lengthwise 
of the charge, so that the "business end" of the cap points toward 
the mass of the charge. It is not well to try to use too short a fuse. 
The cap should be crimped on the fus(^ properly. This can only be 
done with a cap crimper. The use of the steel-pointed handle of the 
cap crimper to punch lioles in the T. N. T. for the cap is not dangerous. 

It is often desiral le to use a primer made with a No. o cap and a 
smah piece of dynamite to set off tlie charge of T. N. T. The dyna- 
mite is exploded by the smaller cap, and this sets off the T. N. T. 
This is almost necessrry if a No. 8 cap is not available. 

Tamp the charge firmly in the hole and then tamp the earth in the 
hole above the charge tight to the top. Only in tliis way can a full 
benefit of the charge he realized. Be careful that dirt is not mixed 
with the explosive, as this may })revent the charge from going off. 

T. N. T. HAS OTHER AGKICILTUIIAL USES. 

Dniinage work. — Ditches can be made with T. N. T. but on account 
of its insensitiveness, a No. 8 electric cap is necessary in each charge. 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



4 USE OF T. 3Sr. T. FOR PEACE-TIMI 

002 758 424 P " 

Propagated firing can not be used. It is impossible to maKe aiu'nes 
economically with the material without an electric blasting outfit.^ 

Breaking bowlders.— T. N. T. has proven very good for bowlder 
blasting either by mud capping or by drilling a hole in the rock to be 
blasted. Mud capping, or "bulldozing," as it is sometimes called, is 
the most common method. In this work, T. N. T. is used in the 
same way as high-grade dynamites are used, being careful not to get 
moisture or soil mixed with the charge. About one-third to one-half 
less of the material i§ used than of dynamite. |IQ| 

Boad work. — T. N. T. can also be satisfactorily used for road work. 
It could be used very effectively for moving earth as well as for 
loosening rock in cuts where a road bed is being prepared. In fact, 
T. N. T. readily adapts itself to any use where the work is done in 
open air and where a relatively insensitive explosion is possible. 

PRECAUTIONS NECESSARY IN HANDLING. AND USING T. N. T. 

Special care should be taken to keep empty T. N. T. cartridges, 
packing material, or boxes away from livestock. As soon as the 
T. N. T. is used, all this packing material should be burned in the 
open air. Explosives accidents have been known to happen from 
using this material in stoves. 

T. X. T. which is permitted to become wet from any cause will not 
give good results. If more than 10 per cent of water is present in 
the material, it is not detonated by ordinary means. For this reason 
the material should not be poured out of the cartridges in the bore 
hole, as moisture from the soil will prevent some of the material from 
detonating. It is not best to leave a load stand in a hole too long 
before firmg. It is, however, less effected by moisture than ordinary 
dynamites. Particular care should be taken to prevent moisture 
and soil from mixing with the T. N. T. in the bore hole as this makes 
the material still less sensitive and may cause misfires or incomplete 
explosion. 

The material need not be mixed with other substances. It is not 
rated in percentage strengths as is common with dynamite. It has 
no nitro-glycerin in it. In practice, when used in the field, no ill 
effects on the users have been observed. Handling the material raw 
in any quantity is strongly discouraged except under the proper 
supervision in cartridging plants. On account of the poisonous 
effects on the user when the raw material is handled, it is very 
important that T. N. T. is not distributed to the public without 
properly cartridging it in waterproof paper cartridges. These water- 
proof paper cartridges also eliminate any effect of moisture which 
would be encountered in practical land clearmg operations. 

Special precaution should be taken in the use of T. N. T. where 
large loads are necessary. T. N. T. when used in large loads, say 
more than 5 or 6 pounds, becomes a very high shattering explosive 
and therefore much more dangerous in the hands of the compara- 
tively inexperienced operator. Land-clearing work as a rule does 
not require excessive loads in Wisconsin and other Lake States. 
When used, however, in large loads for any purpose, it should be 
remembered that the characteristic shattering effect of the war 
explosive is to be observed under these conditions and pieces of 
stump, rock, or soil will be thrown farther and therefore the opera- 
tion becomes more dangerous. 

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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



DD0575flH24A 



Hollinger Corp. 
pH 8.5 



